The men's Jayco Herald Sun Tour (open in new tab) and women's Herald Sun Tour (open in new tab), to be held in February 2021, have both been postponed until 2022 due to continued uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. The Australian state of Victoria, the host of the Games, has been particularly severely affected by the second wave of COVID-19, with the death toll reaching 376.

Tom Salom, president of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, announced in a press release Friday that the decision to postpone the race was difficult.

"As Australia's oldest cycling stage race, we did not make this decision lightly. However, the high level of uncertainty created by the current COVID-19 environment in Victoria presents too many challenges to continue with the 2021 event."

"Tourism Victoria and Cycling Australia understand the rationale behind our decision and have expressed their continued support for both events and their return to the 2022 cycling calendar.

"Having a quality Jayco Herald Sun Tour for years to come is vital for cycling and for the Victorian region.

"We thank our sponsors, teams, riders, officials, and fans for their loyal and ongoing support of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour and Women's Herald Sun Tour and look forward to returning in 2022.

Jerry Ryan, owner of race sponsor Jayco (and owner of the men's and women's Mitchelton Scott World Tour teams), agreed that while the decision to postpone the race is unfortunate, the event will be back soon.

"It's certainly disappointing for everyone involved: the riders, the officials, and the public," Ryan said. We look forward to coming back in 2022 bigger, better, and stronger."

Lucy Kennedy (Mitchelton Scott) defended her title at the 2020 Herald Sun Tour (open in new tab) in February against Jaime Gunning (Specialized Women's Racing) and Astana's Arlenis Sierra, meanwhile, Sunweb's Jai Hindley defeated St. George Continental's Sebastian Barwick and Mitchelton Scott's Damien Howson, who recently signed with the Israeli startup nation's (open in new tab) WorldTour team, to take the lead in the men's event (open in new tab ) to take the top spot in the men's event (open in new tab).

The men's UCI World Tour stage race, Santos Tour Down Under, and the UCI Pro Series-level Santos Women's Tour Down Under are currently scheduled for January 19-24 and January 14-17, 2021, respectively.

South Australia, where the Tour Down Under will be held, has been less adversely affected by COVID-19 than Victoria, where four deaths have been recorded so far this year.